Mpaa

Christopher J. Dodd, a former Democratic senator from Connecticut and now Hollywood's point person in Washington, had some rare kind words for Republicans. Dodd, chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, Hollywood's chief lobbying group, praised the GOP's statements on intellectual property and Internet freedom during its convention in Tampa, Fla. "The Republican Party platform language strikes a very smart balance: it emphasizes the importance of us doing more as a nation to protect our intellectual property from online theft while underscoring the critical importance of protecting Internet freedom," Dodd said in a statement.

'Ruby Sparks' MPAA rating: R for language including some sexual references, and for some drug use Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes Playing: At ArcLight Hollywood, Landmark Theatre, West Los Angeles, Century City AMC

Spike Lee's provocative Sundance movie, "Red Hook Summer," will be assigned an R rating by the Motion Picture Assn. of America, with the film avoiding the more severe NC-17. A person familiar with the MPAA's ruling who was not authorized to speak about it publicly said the group's raters had in recent days formally decided to allow moviegoers under the age of 17 to see the film if accompanied by an adult. An NC-17, of course, would have precluded any teenagers from seeing it no matter who they were with (and restricted potential play dates and marketing)

The Motion Picture Assn. of America, the trade group that represents Hollywood's major studios, and the Cinemark movie theater chain have responded to the shooting at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises. " Former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, chief executive of the MPAA, issued the following statement: "We share the shock and sadness of everyone in the motion picture community at the news of this terrible event. We extend our prayers and deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones and all those affected by this tragedy.

At first, the email rants from readers expressing their distress about Hollywood's increasing reliance on foul language were a mere trickle. Like the way one couple lost faith in one of their favorite actors, Paul Rudd, mortified by his graphic pep talk to his private part in"Wanderlust. " Before those complaints could be chalked up to a prudish few, they grew into a steady stream of frustration, such as the distinct distaste for the dialogue in writer-director-actress Jennifer Westfeldt's indie comedy"Friends With Kids.

The news media has been abuzz recently about the Motion Picture Assn. of America's decision to adopt an R rating for the film documentary"Bully,"and understandably so. School bullying has reached epidemic proportions, and with the rise in social media, bullying insidiously follows children from the schoolyard into their homes, their dorm rooms and their computers. A long list of Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, members of Congress and just plain folks denounced the MPAA for assigning the R rating to "Bully," and they called for a lowerPG-13rating instead.

Even as domestic ticket sales stalled last year, the international movie business climbed to new heights. A report released Thursday by the Motion Picture Assn. of America states that global box-office receipts for all films released around the world in 2011 reached $32.6 billion, up 3% over 2010 and 35% higher than five years ago. The rise in global ticket sales reflects the rapid growth in overseas markets, particularly in China, where the box office grew by a whopping 35% to $2 billion in 2011 alone, according to the MPAA.